Straight Up

Thursday

Jan 17, 2013 at 12:01 AMJan 17, 2013 at 12:42 PM

Sharilyn Wells Paraglide

My husband left for deployment about a week ago and ever since he left, my daughter has been nothing but trouble. She’s been biting her friends at daycare and won’t sleep in her crib without yelling and won’t let me put her down in public. She is only 2 years old, I don’t think she should know what’s going on. I mean, she’s too young to know daddy’s at war. How do I get her to understand that everything will be okay?

—Stressed out Momma

Dear Momma,

If she’s only two, you guys can work together and color a picture for daddy and make a chain-linked countdown made of construction paper. You can also pull out pictures of him and talk to her about him, pointing to his picture. Depending on where he is and his schedule, make sure to let her talk on the phone with him or web cam with him. If you communicate through emails, take pictures of her to send to daddy and ask daddy to do the same. Also, and this one I love, Sesame Street has a wonderful program that talks all about deployments! There’s DVDs and even a smart phone app that you can let her watch and learn. Awesome stuff, right?

Most importantly, don’t forget that there are so many support groups here on Fort Bragg. Start at the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation; they have many events to keep you and your daughter busy while daddy is gone. Army Community Service is also a great resource, as well as your husband’s unit Family readiness group. Remember that you’re not alone and if you need extra support with your daughter, Fort Bragg has it! Take advantage and good luck.

(Editor’s note: Sharilyn Wells really doesn’t know much about anything, but she’ll definitely share her opinion with you whenever needed. To get a ‘straight up’ opinion to your countless issues, email paraglidebragg@gmail.com.)